Hybrid metrology for thin films in energy applications

EU targets for the use of renewable energy and energy efficient devices (reduction of energy losses) are creating new business opportunities worth billions of Euros with significant implications in increasing the supply of advanced materials and technologies. At the same time, Europe’s competitiveness and security of supply require diversification of energy technologies.

Complex thin films are a key enabler of a range of multiple multibillion Euro energy technologies - including energy efficient materials, energy generation and power electronics. Such different technologies share common metrology challenges related to quality, performance and reliability. Currently techniques are developed individually, failing to build on synergies to deliver robust metrology for complex systems. In parallel, there is a lack of metrology methods that allow prediction of aging, in particular for new energy products that have not been in the market. This project will address these two issues by

developing hybrid metrology approaches where datasets from multiple measurements are combined to deliver new or better results than the sum of the individual methods;

developing in-situ metrology methods, improve measurement sensitivity and identify key parameters that can be used to monitor or predict aging of thin film energy materials and devices.